The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-01-20

| name, as it might be necessary to make an
| Investigation as to the truthfulness of the
matter. The lady did not appear, and the
| Governor heard no more from the prisoner
on the subject.
CLUvERTUs's FAILURE TO CONFESS
The persistence of the convicted man in
| protesting his innocence was a subject of
much comment. Many believed that when
the trying moment came the man would
break down and make clean breast of the
whole affair. His failure to do this, SO far
as any one now knows. it is believed will
cause a revulsion of popular sentiment in
his favor. 1t will certainly leave this case
| which has been surrounded with mystery
from the first to the last step. in doubt.
| CLUvERIUs' S HISTORY OF HIS CASE.
For several weeks past Cluverius was
engaged in the preparation of history of
his case, which was on Friday put on sale
on the streets. In this, from first to last,
the author asserts bis innocence, and takes
up and discusses the testimony upon which
he was convicted, piece by piece. The
work is a small pamphlet of 112 pages, and
copyrighted.
EXTRACTS FROM THE PAMPHLET.
| In reply to the often repeated charge of
| his indifference to the memory of Fannie
J. Lillian Madison, whom he was convicted
of numbering, he says in his book: "But
those who thought me guilty naturally
| looked for some tragic and dramatic exhi-
bition of regret at her death. Conscious
of entire freedom from completely in her
death, and having no specially intimate re-
lations with her. such an exhibition would
have been forced and unnatural. felt
regret at Der death, intensified by the evil
aence of herprevious fall the same regret
that others similarly related to her felt
As | was not her murderer, did not feel
/ like her murderer. and. therefore, did not
act as her mul derer.'7
THE WATCH KEY
OF the watch key, which played such an
important part in this case, he says: 'sMy
solemn declaration, in the light Of eternity
is that this watch key which has been call
ed the pivotal evidence in the case, and
which seems to have had so much weight
with the Governor in deciding him against
1 executive interference, was never mine,
and was never seen by me until this trial
/ began"
HIS PRESENCE IN RICHMOND.
Speaking of his presence in Richmond
ON the day and night of the death of Miss
Madison, Cluverius says II have nothing
to confess. did not see f. L. Madison
during the day and the night Of the 18th
of March. That is all the confession |
have to Make
THE RELATIVES OF THE DECEASED.
4 The mother and father were not in Rich
mond They have not seen their son for
many months. 1t is said they are confined
to their home in King William county by
sickness. and it was impossible for them
to get here to bid last idieu to him. Gu
yerius was compelled to say his farewells
to these relations by letter Or through his
brother. Willie Cl1yerius, who bias stood
by him SO heroically through all of these
trials.
HISTORY OF THE CASE
II will be there as soon as possible, SC
do wait Cor Me.' This was the brief note
murder Thomas ,Judsou Cluverius was
executed, made an appointment to meet
him on the day before her dead body was
!, found. Cluverius and the girrWere second
cousins, and from early childhood had been
quite intimate. It can hardly be said
they were ever acknowledged TO be lovers,
but they Wereop more than cousinly terms
Cluverius at the time of the death Of Lii
; ian Madison, was % years old, and the girl
about 20. The former lived in King and
: Queen count y, and the latter in King Will
lidIu EoHHty. 4HtY WIFE pup pHi4uIeH VI
; poor but highly respected and well connec
ted farmers Of that section Of the state.
CLUYER!Us's DOUBLE LlPH.
Cluyerius was The protege of his aunt
Mrs. Jane Tunstall, childless widow
: That lady furnished the means for his ed
ucation, as well as the required sum fol
his defense in this case. Two years before
the tragedy which resulted in Miss Madi
2 sons death and bpQugAt the prisoner to his
l ignominious position, he graduated from
: the law class of the Richmond College
3 From early childhood up to the time Of his
. arrest for the murder of his pretty cousin
Cluverias' s outward life lad been exem-
+ plary. While at college in Richmond
+ though, thesgoung man led a double life.-
: With Ills college professors and his elders
he was a regular church attendant and q
; young man Of exceptional moral reetitude
r Among bis boon companions it was known
that he visited diSreputable women anC
INDUCED in designations about which those
whose confidence he was anxious to retair
knew nothing.
i FANNIE Lillian MADISON.
Miss Madison was small-below the medium
height. Her face, while not strikingly pretty
| was quite pleasant. Her eyes were dark brown
( and hair several shades lighter. The cheeks
6 ably say too full. Lillian was short to dumpi
: ness. Her manners, while pleasant were no
l self possessed and easy She was bright and vi
: vacious in conversation. Like the man con
: victed of her murder. Miss Madison owed al
her educational advantages to the liberality Of
her aunt, Mrs. Tunstall. The money of that
kinswoman supplied the girl with the means
OF attending private sohools IN her own coun,
: parents. In July Of 1851 the deceased had SONG
: caused her to leave home and go to her grand
fathers, in the upper part of the county There
: her cousin frequent visitor. He Otter
came to the house, and was received as one oil
the family. About the 9th or 10th of July Gu
Miss Madison was Stopping. After retiring fo
o the night he made some exapse for getting VI
2 and leaving the room The pommonwealtf
portunity was had FOR tie accompaniment o.
the girls ruin, AT any rate it Is fixed at tina
period,
THE UNHAPPY aIEL's CONDITION.
s | The theory is that, discovering her condition
the man who was the author Of 1t, urged thu
. | necessity of his victim leaving the neighbor
: the family of Mrs. Dickerson, the wife of a vel
to-do and highly respected cattle dealer in Bath
Of the same year, and assumed her new duties
, The only scholars were the nephew OF her EN-.
Poye and o saaesn IL The
ularly. as is shown by envelopes addressed te
her in tn the prisoners hgndwrting which were
preaching when the unhappy girls condition
could no longer be Kept from those about her
III was ILLS lAcb, no uOuDG, JnaG IOrC6Q ner TO
ter into the multifarious sch emes of deception
which she subsequently practiced upon her EN-
| ployer and others. The sequel seems to show
: | conclusively that an agreement had been en-
tered into through correspondence between the
cousins by which She was to go 10 RlcilnonC
and remain nntil the birth OF her child.
, MISS cuRTIs's PURIoRTED LETTER.
In order to ACCOUNT to Mrs. Dickerson for the
seven or eight wseks' absence, such a plan
: would necessitate, letter was produced and
: read to that lady by Lillian. purporting to be
letter Miss crfi IS mae t5 say hat he, aunns
falling health makes visit to Old Point neces-
sary, and offers the deceased the place as q
companion to her; not only offers but presses
the girl to accept it. Miss Curtis had been q
) schoolmate o. Iiilians at Burlington Academy
and the latter had on one occasion visited the
home Of that LADY: So the ruse appeared to be
: was in the handwriting of the dead girl, reach
ed her by mail q few days before her departure
for Richmond. Upon the representation Of the
condition of things set forth III that letter
| motherly Mrs. Dickerson, seeing no guile in her
governess, readily consented for her to make
The trip.
, CLUyERIUS AND HIS VICTIM IN RICHMOND.
On March 10, Cluyerius and his victim were
both in the pity. the latter ct the American Ho-
Z tel, registered as Miss F. u. Merton and the
former registered at the Capital Hotel q block
Madison would have done SO. too. had not an
accident on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad
| delayed her train for several hours. The name
, assumed by the ruined girl on thisoccasion was
the same one under which she regiatered at the
Exchange Hotel on q visit she had made here
| in January preceding. g az -
It was proved that on THAT visit the prisoner
l,1d cd Mt the tn see Misc ~ i